News Archives for February 2007

OverclockersOnline - As I furiously type away at my keyboard, I know this review is now coming to a close. Over the past several weeks I typed and typed until my fingers couldn't type any more. I switched between a few different models and I just kept coming back to the diNovo Edge.

BigBruin - Outside of the government and the military, the computer world uses the most acronyms. This is especially true for the names of audio formats. There are dozens of formats, each with its own reason for being and with its own strengths and weaknesses. But what do all of those names mean? And how do you deal with an audio file that you're not familiar with?

OverclockersClub - The Swiss cooling solution provider Arctic Cooling has joined forces with the leading nVIDIA partner – Inno3D to provide cooling solution for their new “i-ChiLL” series. “i-ChiLL” has launched their first overclocked range graphic card featuring with Arctic Cooling NV Silencer 6. Thanks to the impeccable and reliable cooling performance, the NV Silencer 6 enables the “i-ChiLL” graphic card to be pre-overclocked in an extreme silent way. “

Bjorn3D - A small Norwegian game developer has decided to try their hand at producing a simple yet effective solution to this ever growing problem, and has released Password Protector 2006 to do just that. While there is certainly no shortage of these utilities on the market to choose from, Kristanix Software is confident enough in their product to allow us at Bjorn3D to review their product!

BigBruin - The styling of the In Win Alpha 360 mATX Case is definitely unique and is one of its best features. It looks like no other case I have used, and the aesthetics don't get in the way of an easy installation and convenient operation. It provides many well designed tool-less features, more drive space than many other mATX cases, and decent cooling despite just having one case fan. Overall it has made quite a positive impression on me.

FrostyTech - In this review Frostytech will be testing out the Xigmatek AIO-S80DP self contained watercooling heatsink. The AIO-S80DP is both a new approach to watercooling, and the first salvo from an entirely new heatsink manufacturer. What makes the Xigmatek AIO-S80DP heatsink unique is that it is an all-in-one watercooling based thermal solution. Coolant runs through the metal veins of this heat exchanger, and it is only this liquid which works to transfer the heat absorbed from the processor into the surrounding environment. The heatsink is set up with two 80mm sized radiators, positioned with direct connections to the reservoir below, and a fan set dead between them.

[H] - GeForce 8800 series video card owners are up in arms as NVIDIA has left them out to dry in terms of WHQL certified Vista drivers. GeForce 8 series SLI owners have been completely shut out of Vista DX10 gaming support. What to expect now? "I wish we had better news for you than the nebulous dates and “TBD” answers we have shared with you above, but it seems that at the moment, that’s as good as it is going to get. Rest assured, I certainly think that the hardware enthusiasts and gamers that pay for these extremely expensive GeForce series video cards deserve much better support. “World-class support” should be a minimum expectation, not just a marketing tag line."

ThinkComputers - Here at ThinkComputers we have already taken a look at the SteelSound 3H and 5H headsets. The 3H being on the low-end side and the 5H being on the high-end. Today we will be taking a look at the 4H, which is the mid-range headset in the series. SteelSound has always made good headsets so let's see how the 4H measures up.

CNN - For nearly a year, television and Internet audiences have been seeing a familiar string of ads from Apple Inc. attacking rival Windows-based computers. With this week's release of Windows Vista, the newest jabs aren't any friendlier. In one ad, the character personifying the PC is dressed in hospital patient garb, talking about how he's set to undergo major surgery to upgrade to Vista. He then saunters off, telling the Mac character that if he doesn't come back, Mac can have his peripherals. In another ad, a man pretending to be the Mac character heaps praises for the PC -- until the real Mac character steps in, confounded, asking "What's going on?" The fake Mac replies, "Nothing," and then mutters "I'm a fan" as he walks away. On its own Web site, Apple Inc. tells visitors to get a Mac, stating, "Why upgrade to Vista when you can upgrade past it?"

CRN - Windows Vista's speech recognition feature can be used by pranksters to remotely force a PC into executing some commands, Microsoft has confirmed, but the company's security team downplayed the threat. After several security researchers posted messages on mailing lists detailing how a prank could be done -- a malicious Web site, for example, could host an audio file that shouted out commands to shut down the system -- Microsoft's Security Response Center (MSRC) replied in a blog entry Wednesday.

CRN - Computer hackers are off and running trying to find vulnerabilities in Microsoft Corp.'s new Windows Vista operating system, putting to test the software maker's claim that it is the most secure Windows program ever. The new version of Windows, the computer operating system that runs over 95 percent of the world's computers, became available to consumers Tuesday after five years of development and a number of delays to improve security. A high-profile new product like Windows Vista draws interest from the entire spectrum of the computer security industry, ranging from hackers trying to exploit a breach for criminal means to researchers looking to make a name for themselves as security experts.

CRN - Microsoft's co-launch of Office 2007 and Windows Vista to the general public was the first time since Windows 95 that the company released an operating system and office productivity suite on the same day. And it may be (a bit) more than just coincidence or a marketing push. Chris Capossela, who's Microsoft's corporate VP in charge of the Office line, says that Office 2007 gains some extra oomph when run on Vista than on XP. It's not a sea change, but there are some new tricks. "Just about everything in Office 2007 works on XP," he says. "But there are a few things that are special to Vista." Here's a list of how Office 2007 -- or, in fact, any version of Office -- can benefit from Vista's new features...

TechWeb - Microsoft released a non-security update for Internet Explorer 7 two weeks before the next patch day, and urged Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 users to download and install the fix if they notice the browser mysteriously slowing down while surfing. Earlier this week, the Redmond, Wash. developer pushed several updates to Windows Vista users, the new operating system that launched to consumers on Tuesday, including one to fix performance problems with IE 7's anti-fraud filter. The update has also been posted for IE 7 on Windows XP and Server 2003.

InformationWeek - Apple and Cisco Systems are back at the bargaining table to try to settle differences over the use of the name iPhone. The networking equipment market leader filed suit against the iPod/Mac maker last month, claiming Apple infringed on Cisco's iPhone trademark. The suit was filed in federal court in Northern California one day after Apple unveiled its iPhone, a combination cellular phone-music player, at the Macworld conference in San Francisco. In a joint statement released late Wednesday, the two companies said they had agreed to extend the time Apple has to respond to the suit "to allow for discussions between the companies with the aim of reaching agreement on trademark rights and interoperability."

Light Reading - BitTorrent will finally launch its retail Internet video site this month, Light Reading has learned. The site will feature music, music videos, TV shows, movies, and gaming –- all delivered via the BitTorrent peer-to-peer (P2P) protocol. BitTorrent spokeswoman Lily Lin says the company's Website will undergo a redesign, featuring "first-run movies and TV shows" when it launches later in February. "It's going to be a totally different interface and look and feel," Lin says. "It's going to be different than anything else out there." BitTorrent already features movie trailers, music videos, and casual games on its site.

DailyTech - It has been a huge endeavor to get Windows Vista out the door, but according to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, there's "plenty more where that came from.” Sure enough, there is more to come starting with Vista’s first service pack which should be released before the end of 2007. There has been much speculation in the industry, however, that Vista (and similarly Office 2007) would be "last of its kind.” With the rise of the Internet and the "have it now" aspects of online applications like Google Docs & Spreadsheets and Google Calendar, many experts believe that Microsoft's model of doing business is going the way of the dinosaur. "Microsoft made Vista the old-fashioned way, as a single packaged product that it puts on a disk so users can buy it in a store and load it onto their computers," said Dean Takahashi of the San Jose Mercury News.

DailyTech - DailyTech reported on Monday that Microsoft no longer performs disc checks during an operating system install. In the past, when performing a clean install, a user could boot from an install CD and insert a disc from a previous version of Windows for upgrade compliance. However, per Microsoft's new licensing requirements for Vista, users are required to install a Windows Vista Upgrade from within Windows XP. When this occurs, the Windows XP license is forfeited and the Windows Vista installation process can take place. DailyTech has confirmed a new workaround proposed by Paul Thurrott (via Microsoft internal documents).

DailyTech - With the release of Windows Vista on Tuesday, the final end-user licensing agreement (EULA) is reaching the eyes of the masses – for those who actually care to read through it instead of blindly clicking “next.” One particular clause found in specific versions of Windows Vista is catching the attention of many Mac users, particularly those using Parallels Desktop software, which allows Mac users to run the new Windows OS on their systems. The Parallels Virtualization blog found that only the higher-end versions of Vista permit the use of virtualization software. The EULA for Vista Home Basic and Home Premium Editions is quite clear in its stance on virtualization...

DailyTech - Following Jim Allchin's announced retirement, Microsoft this week made the announcement that Zune evangelist Bryan Lee submitted his resignation. The announcement was made internally with Lee's message that he was leaving the software giant to "pursue personal interests." Despite his plans to leave, Lee will stay in his role as corporate vice president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division for several more weeks. In his place, Microsoft will appoint J Allard, its corporate vice president of the design and development, entertainment and devices division. Allard is responsible for both Microsoft's Zune and Xbox gaming console.

DailyTech - In a surprise move, Kevin Rollins today resigned his position as CEO of Dell Inc. Overnight upper-echelon management changes at Fortune 500 companies are not typical occurrences. Michael Dell, founder of Dell, will re-assume the role of CEO and retain his duties as Chairman of the Board. In 2004, Dell stepped down as CEO and was replaced by Rollins. Management at Dell has come full circle. Since Rollins stepped into position as CEO, Michael Dell has been putting his hands into various areas of Dell such as marketing, operations, mergers and other areas where he was previously preoccupied doing other things.

DailyTech - Microsoft may be last place in Japan, but it has no intentions of throwing in the towel. Peter Moore of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division believes in Xbox so much, that he’s tattooed his biceps with Halo 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV for the sake of game announcement events. Speaking with IGN, Moore touches upon several topics surrounding the console. A popular thing to poll the execs on is their thoughts about Nintendo Wii. Moore doesn’t buck the trend and has nice things to say: “The innovation that the Wii is, I'm certainly a big fan of. It ties in exactly with what Nintendo needs to do. And it ties directly into their strong intellectual property that is more youth oriented and more family oriented.”

DailyTech - Intel's latest partner guidance revealed the shipment numbers it projects for 2007. Two immediate things jump out for desktop projections: by Q4 2007, more than 85% of processor shipments will be at least dual-core; and by Q4 2007 the company only expects 5% of its desktop shipments to transition to quad-core. Not only will dual-core take the center stage by Q4, but the company's guidance is also very clear about removing all 90nm SKUs before then as well -- no more Pentium D, Pentium 4, or Celeron D. This means there will only be four major components floating around in the channel and for OEMs: 65nm quad-core processors (Core 2 Extreme and Core 2 Quad), 65nm dual-core processors (Core 2 Duo), 65nm single-core Pentium E2000 and 65nm single-core Celeron 400. All of these processors are in some way Conroe derivatives.

DailyTech - Intel expects to introduce its high-end Core 2 Extreme branding to notebooks in Q3’2007 according to the latest roadmap. The upcoming Core 2 Extreme X7800 uses the same Merom core used by the Core 2 Duo mobile family of processors. Intel’s Core 2 Extreme X7800 will arrive clocked at 2.6 GHz, operate on an 800 MHz front-side bus and feature 4MB of L2 cache like the rest of the Core 2 Duo family. Intel technologies such as VT, EIST, EM64T and XD/NX bit are supported, though Intel has removed support for Intel Dynamic Acceleration. The Core 2 Extreme X7800 for mobile will remain at the top of Intel’s chain of mobile processors until the upcoming Core 2 Extreme X7900 dethrones it in Q4’2007.

DailyTech - For those of you who have plunked down the extra cash for the version of Windows Vista that is at the top of the totem pole, there are a couple of new Vista Ultimate Extras available for download right now. Last night, right before the official launch of Vista, Microsoft pushed out Windows Texas Hold'em Poker and BitLocker and EFS Enhancements. According to Paul Thurrott, Windows Texas Hold'em Poker requires a minimum Windows Experience Index of 1.0 to run and 2.0 to operate at optimum levels. Given that mostly enthusiasts will be gunning for Windows Vista Ultimate, this shouldn't be a problem at all.

BetaNews - Since last July, when Intel introduced its Core 2 Duo processors and, perhaps more importantly, effectuated a complete U-turn in its microarchitecture, experts and enthusiasts in computing have judged Intel to have regained the performance lead from AMD in CPUs, which includes the lead in providing processor performance per dollar. But in its multi-faceted campaign to wrest back the title of hero, if not yet leader, in consumers' minds, AMD is leveraging its fusion with ATI and ATI's cooperation with Microsoft to make a bold new case for itself: Now that the Windows Vista era is upon us, AMD's executives and managers believe the time has come to throw out the old XP-based benchmarks, and re-evaluate AMD's current line of processors using more updated metrics.

BetaNews - Flickr owner Yahoo has decided to phase out the separate login for the popular photo sharing site, instead opting to use its own system. While the search engine says the change is intended to make it easier for Yahoo to integrate Flickr into other services, some diehard users just aren't having it. Yahoo further justifies its decision by mentioning the fact that only one out of every 20 users still uses a non-Yahoo ID. The company originally intended to support both authentication options when it acquired Flickr in March 2005, but changed that policy later in the year.

BetaNews - Incidents of identity theft are decreasing, and the average loss as a result of fraud has dropped, a new study suggests. The improvement may reflect a higher awareness of the problem by consumers and businesses, say experts. A study released Thursday by Javelin Strategy & Research showed that Americans lost $49.3 billion during 2006 due to identity theft. While still a considerable amount of money, that is down 13 percent from $55.7 billion a year earlier.One out of every 27 Americans, or about 8.4 million, was a victim of some type of fraud. That too has decreased, from 8.9 in 2005, and 10.1 million three years ago. The average loss was $5,720, down from $6,278 a year ago.

BetaNews - As the San Jose Mercury News reported this morning, AMD Executive Vice President for Legal Affairs Tom McCoy, speaking yesterday before a gathering of technology executives at the University of California at Berkeley, told the moderator -- a lawyer with the US Federal Trade Commission -- that he believes the US Government has been lax in its antitrust enforcement in recent months. As an example, McCoy re-ignited an old quarrel with Intel, addressed in of its federal antitrust complaint that has not been dismissed by Judge Joseph Farnan, and which some observers say may still have legs. McCoy reminded the gathering of two substantive parts of its complaint, one of which resulted in the type of enforcement response in Japan that McCoy says is lacking from US officials.

BetaNews - You sometimes know the news isn’t all good about a company’s earnings when it casts a bright spotlight on its revenues; a company can make a lot of money without necessarily earning it. Google is the antithesis of such a company, earning an astonishing one-third of its revenues while still sharing nearly a billion dollars with its traffic generation partners. Google closed out its fiscal year 2006 having reaped just over $3.2 billion in revenues for the final quarter, a gain of two thirds over the fourth quarter of 2005. Of that $3.2 billion, just over $1 billion of that is net earnings, an 86% annual gain – meaning Google is even more efficient now than it was last year.

PC Apex - "I don't know who Sapphire worked with to develop their heatpipe design, but I am impressed with the construction. The tubes are 8mm which will allow a lot of movement of fluid and vapor which means more efficient cooling. The bends on the tubing are a little rough, but not enough to affect it's ability. If you look closely at the picture of the side of the card that has the DVI connectors you will notice two rubber pads on the fins. These keep the metal from meeting with circuitry, which is a very good thing.

BigBruin - There is plenty of room for all of your components, and working inside in the NZXT Zero is quite easy given the space and variety of tool-less features. Once you have all of your components installed there is still a good deal of room which is nice since it makes it more visually appealing and will help the airflow keep the system cool.

PC Stats - The AMD 690 chipset series will include variants incorporating integrated graphics processors (IGP) based on the former ATI's Radeon graphics technology, and is designed to be paired with the ATI-developed SB600 south bridge, said the sources. At least two IGP versions are planned which promise to offer higher visual performance than current IGP solutions, noted the sources. Additionally, the higher-end variant, the AMD 690G, will offer extra support for features including DVI, HDMI, and HDCP, added the motherboard makers.

Virtual Hideout - For those who don't feel the need to overclock, as well as for those who are looking for RAM that is highly overclockable, these tests are vital. In this case, the H sort of lives up to its Hi-Performance title, as I was able to get 1012MHz at 2.3v and this was stable while running Prime95 x2"

3DGameMan - SilverStone CFP51 Aluminum 5.25" to 3.5" Bay Converter lets just about anyone add additional hard drives in their case. This is great news, since many mid-tower cases only have 3 or 4 internal hard drive bays. I really like the fact that SilverStone didn't make this an exclusive product for Silverstone Cases only. It's another sleek looking creation in their long list of quality products…

Think Computers - You may of may not have heard of Otterbox. Way back in July we took a look at their 7000 series laptop case. Although the case was not the most eye-catching case out there it provided unrivaled protection for your laptop. Well Otterbox makes a whole slew of cases for all your electronic devices. Today we will be taking a look at the case for the iPod Nano and we will see if the case as well as our Nano survives our tests.

Virtual Hideout - We are a little over a month past Christmas, and I know some of us received some really good computer hardware. So what does that mean for the other hardware that was replaced, but is still good? It means it's HTPC computer building time!

Gideon Tech - In the included instructions it says that the surface was milled down specifically to work with their thermal grease for the best performance. Well, I don't know if that's true, but I'm always willing to give things a try, instead of cleaning the goop off the heatsink, I installed it as is. Don't worry though, I still plan to remove it and test again with the benchmark AS5

Virtual Hideout - Well I really don't know what else to say. This review would compare to taking a Ferrari for a spin and going "Yep! It's fast alright!” We're talking about some of the fastest memory on the market today; 1150Mhz and 1200Mhz right out of the box from a name you can trust; Kingston Technology.

OverclockersClub - LTB Audio systems, Inc. is planning to release a unique new wireless audio device called a Q-Bean. This orb like device is about the size of typical automobile key fob, and it offers everything from Digital CD-Quality audio to a built in Microphone for speech and remote tracking features for Windows users. The unique "Bean" will be offered in several cool colors and should capture the interest of PC and laptop media users. The initial product will come with a USB plug & play transmitter that requires no software for Windows, Vista, Mac or Linux operating systems. In addition, the system will have additional transmitter optional accessories for popular MP3 players Like Ipod and Zune as well as wireless interfaces to standard audio systems and gaming consoles.

CNN - Pablo Gonzalez, a Prada shoe-wearing cell phone connoisseur who jumps from one new handset to the next, is ready to ditch his $1,000 touch-screen cell phone for Apple's iPhone when it becomes available in June. Tark Abed, on the other hand, just got the new Samsung BlackJack smart phone a month ago. The industrial designer at Palo Alto-based Speck Design isn't keen on spending $500 even though he finds the iPhone's sleek interface alluring and innovative. "I upgraded to an unlimited data plan and got the BlackJack for $149," he said, "and that's a lot of phone already for $149."

Time - A week after Nintendo's Wii debuted in November, the Wall Street Journal reported that the gaming console was leaving some users as sore as the gym often does. Unlike traditional hand-held video games, where users sit on the couch exercising little more than their thumbs, the Wii (pronounced "we" not "why") features digital sensors that let users virtually play the game. In Wii Sports, a game that comes with the console, users mimic the motions used in sports like bowling, tennis and baseball. In other words, the game may be virtual, but the physical exertion is very real.

CRN - The Free Software Foundation is reviewing Novell Inc.'s right to sell new versions of Linux operating system software after the open-source community criticized Novell for teaming up with Microsoft Corp. "The community of people wants to do anything they can to interfere with this deal and all deals like it. They have every reason to be deeply concerned that this is the beginning of a significant patent aggression by Microsoft," Eben Moglen, the Foundation's general counsel, said Friday. The foundation controls intellectual property rights to key parts of the open-source Linux operating system.

CRN - Microsoft is expected to release a beta three version of its next Windows Server, code-named Longhorn, as a community technology preview (CTP) in early March, industry sources say. The upcoming CTP would be the first public milestone for Longhorn because it will be more widely distributed to partners and customers. Microsoft quietly released a CTP in December to select partners, and the Redmond, Wash., software giant previously said it would release a beta three version in the first half of 2007. Now that Windows Vista and Office 2007 shipped this week, Microsoft is turning up the heat on its server complement, according to one industry observer. "Beta three will be a CTP soon," said the source, who pegged the current release date as March 7. "February is all about Vista/Office launches."

CRN - Microsoft's own anti-virus software was one of several Vista-compatible programs that failed to sniff out all the malware currently loose in the wild, a noted testing publication said Friday. "Virus Bulletin," a U.K.-based publication whose VB100 tests are considered one of the benchmarks of the anti-virus industry, put 15 Vista programs up against January's WildList, a dynamically-updated master list of all viruses, worms, Trojans, and other malware currently spreading. Five failed the test, including Microsoft Windows Live OneCare 1.5 and McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.1i. "They missed viruses on the WildList," says John Hawes, the technical consultant at "Virus Bulletin," and the one in charge of the VB100 testing. "To receive the VB100, they have to detect every virus.

CRN - Apple Computer is warning customers who use the Windows version of its iTunes software to hold off upgrading to Windows Vista until it can release a patch to fix a number of serious compatibility issues, one of which could result in a corrupt iPod player. Apple, in a statement posted Thursday on its Web support forum, says upgrading from Windows 2000 or Windows XP to Vista may result in the inability to play songs purchased and downloaded to the desktop iTunes player from its online iTunes store. Worse, however, is the problem that iPod users could encounter if they try to eject their digital music player from a desktop port using the "Safely Remove Hardware" feature found on the Vista system tray. That, Apple warns ominously, "may corrupt your iPod."

InformationWeek - A former Duracell employee pleaded guilty Friday to one count of stealing trade secrets from the battery company, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut said. Edward Grande waived indictment and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Janet Hall in Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor said in a statement. Grande, who had been employed as a cell development technologist at Duracell, faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Duracell Corp., which is based in Bethel, Conn., is a unit of Procter & Gamble Co. "While under employment with Duracell, Grande shared confidential corporate documents with external sources," P&G said in statement.

InformationWeek - Millions of consumers a week buy mobile phones with digital video cameras, and several Web sites are now providing them with free online editing tools, nurturing a new generation of filmmakers. Camcorder phones are eclipsing sales of dedicated high-quality camcorders. Over 348 million mobile phones sold in 2006 had a built-in camcorder and in 2007 that number is seen at 490 million, according to market research group Strategy Analytics. Moreover, phone manufacturers have put a video camera in the hands of an age group which previously did not buy camcorders: the young and childless. The effect can be seen on YouTube, where more than 65,000 videos are uploaded every day, most of them featuring 20-somethings rather than toddlers.

InformationWeek - Anybody who bothered to read a clickwrap or shrinkwrap agreement would never install any software, click on any link on the Web, open an account with anyone, or even shop at many retail stores. The terms of these agreements are onerous and ridiculous. We go along with the gag because we think nobody's paying any attention. But somebody's going to start paying attention soon, and when they do, the results will be disastrous for the electronic economy. Clickwrap and shrinkwrap agreements start with the phrase READ CAREFULLY, all in caps. The phrase means, "IGNORE THIS." That's because the small print is unchangeable and outrageous. Why read the "agreement" if you know that: 1) No sane person would agree to its text, and 2) Even if you disagree, no one will negotiate a better agreement with you?

InformationWeek - There are 139,834 open source projects under way on SourceForge, the popular open source hosting site. Five years from now, only a handful of those projects will be remembered for making lasting contributions--most will remain in niches, unnoticed by the rest of the world. For every Linux, Apache, or MySQL, dozens of other open source efforts fizzle out. That's a dilemma for the many companies that are expanding their use of open source. Corporate developers and other IT professionals must get better at divining the winners and ignoring the losers. The wrong picks can lead companies down a rat hole of support problems and obsolete software. Good bets for the next round of open source innovation include the Mule enterprise service bus, Alfresco content management system, and Spring framework for Java applications. But what about the 139,831 other options?